India's Parliament kicked off its high-stakes Budget Session today with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint sitting, but the spotlight quickly shifted to brewing tensions between the government and opposition over US President Donald Trump's trade comments and the contentious G RAM G Act.

Opposition leaders, fresh from yesterday's all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, are gearing up for a fierce showdown. They're demanding debates on Trump's wavering stance on India-US trade deals, the G RAM G Act—which has replaced the flagship MGNREGA rural jobs scheme—and revisions to voter lists under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Congress MP Jairam Ramesh and TMC's Sagarika Ghose led the charge, but the government firmly ruled out revisiting these issues, calling the G RAM G Act settled law.

The session's first phase runs until February 13, paving the way for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to unveil her ninth Union Budget this Sunday. A brief second leg follows from March 9 to April 3. Expect disruptions during the Motion of Thanks debate, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to reply. TMC has already flagged protests over SIR-related voter purges in poll-bound West Bengal, while broader gripes include perceived targeting by central agencies. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed calls for rehashing SIR, noting it was already discussed in the Monsoon Session. Still, reports from states highlight administrative chaos from hasty deletions, fueling opposition fire.

Trump's recent back-and-forth on trade—coupled with his administration's silence on issues like Palestine—has MPs fuming over what they see as a diplomatic snub. Meanwhile, the G RAM G Act (sometimes dubbed VB-G RAM G) faces backlash for potentially slashing rural livelihoods. MGNREGA once sustained over 80 million households yearly; critics warn the switch could exacerbate unemployment in villages already hit by economic shifts.

The government holds firm: no rollback or debate. This mirrors past welfare-reform clashes, like UPA-era MGNREGA expansions that balanced jobs with fiscal strain. With UGC's new reservation rules sparking campus unrest, though unlikely to dominate, the session tests post-2024 poll dynamics amid Trump's trade unpredictability. As the Economic Survey drops tomorrow, all eyes are on whether these flashpoints derail key legislation. For India's rural heartland and global ambitions, the outcomes could ripple into 2026 politics. Stay with us for live updates.